Looking towards 2017

I've spent the last year or so investigating land options-- buying, renting, or backyard expansions. At a farming workshop I attended last weekend, New Farmer U, I met many new farmers who are shopping for or have recently purchased land. They dream of acres of vegetables or crops, quiet days and dark nights, lots of room for livestock (I loved learning about goat farming!), and raising children in the country. And then there was me...

I finally learned from all of my soul searching that although I really love visiting the country, I am a city farmer at heart.

Kids raised in the city can still grow food! My daughter grew these gorgeous 40 pound heirloom pie pumpkins this summer at the urban farm.

Bikes

It all goes back to bikes. Not that agriculture hasn't been my passion since I started working as an hourly for the cotton breeding program in college, but biking is such a large part of my life-- both for recreation and transportation, as well as biking instead of driving for health and environmental reasons-- I need to live somewhere I can bike as much as possible. The country would allow me road rides for exercise, but it wouldn't be reasonable to run errands by bike.

Adding beds to the urban farm. Having my plots in town allow me to work all day on the urban farm and then bike into town for happy hour (Capital Brewery anyone?).

Neighbors

My friends who grew up in the country will tell me that they had neighbors. But as a city kid at heart, I like have people close to me. Really close. I enjoy chats over the fence and waving at the lady across the street. I also like sharing my life with neighbors, showing them that you can grow food in the city. I've had several visitors just this summer who came over because they were curious about the urban farm. I love that! My hope is to get more people over next summer to tour the farm and share my excitement about local food.

Food vs. Lawns

I need to start off by saying I don't hate grass. My black lab, Olive, loves to chase her tennis ball and she needs a lawn to do that. But grass can be expensive (both monetarily and environmentally) because it can take so many chemicals and so much water to keep it looking perfect. This is especially bothersome to me if no one is out enjoying it. These are the yards that are underutlized and could grow vegetables.

Food or grass? We have chosen food. And hopefully we'll be feeding more people than just our family next summer!

Two Wheels Urban Farm's Future

Because of these reasons, the urban farm is staying within the beltline! We are expanding our home growing plots and moving into at least two additional yards this year (thank you awsome Land Owners!). The program works when a land owner trades yard space for a weekly share of vegetables harvested from all of the urban farm's plots. With the cost of CSA being several hundred dollars a summer, I am trying to provide a good value for my land owner partners. (This will also give me the opportunity to practice growing a weekly CSA). The rest of the vegetables I plan to sell at a local farmer's market. (Two Wheels Urban Farm now even has a tax ID, so we are official!)

My dad working on a new addition to a land owner's existing plot. Looking forward to the urban farm's expansion!

There goes the neighborhood

Our urban farm is located in a neighborhood where the yards are large, but houses are still very close together. The people who live here work hard to keep their yards looking tidy, and although I am not in favor of using chemicals on my lawn to make it look like Brady Bunch AstroTurf, I understand that our friends want to live near neat and clean yards and houses. They want our neighborhood to be beautiful, and this attractiveness will keep up the property values. For me, it is VERY important to keep my neighbors happy and on board with the urban farm. I have done a lot to get to this point, and since I am not willing to give up on this lifestyle (growing my own food while benefiting from living in town), I would hate to have to move and start over somewhere else.

What is an urban farmer to do to fit in?


Beautify

The most important feature of an urban farm is, of course, the production of locally grown, sustainable, delicious fruits and vegetables. That said, the farm must be as attractive as possible. The time spent keeping weeds in check in the vegetable beds is well worth the effort. Although I don't have a Scott's lawn care subscription, I mow and weed the grass to keep the lawn we have fitting in with the general look of the neighborhood (and those bagged grass clippings are a great treat for the chickens!).

Adding flowers around the chicken coop, for example, shows that I value creating a space that is not only productive, but is aesthetically pleasing to be in and look at.

Planting ornamentals around food crops and animal housing adds color and visual interest.

Keep it clean

My neighbors want to be able to enjoy their yards just as much as I want to use-- and enjoy-- my own place. Keeping clean is a way to show respect for them and also helps me to maintain a relaxing space of my own. While we worked on building the chicken run this week, we made sure to clean up each night and leave the area looking orderly. Once the chickens are at home in the new coop, keeping the area clean and free of smells is priority #1. Unlike on a farm (where there is endless room to hide animals) an urban farm yard is used not just for farming but for weekend barbecues and tossing the ball around with your family. I appreciate clean and neat spaces just as much as my neighbors.

My neighbor's fence is next to these beds, so hopefully they will enjoy the view of the veggies.

Friendly Farmer

To have friends you have to be a good friend. And I need the support of my neighbors in order to be successful. Keeping them informed of what I am up to is important so that they aren't surprised by something that may at first seem out of place in town. Also, sharing a few eggs or some of the bumper tomato crop helps them feel like they are an important part of the urban farm (because they are!).

Thank you, good neighbors! (You know who you are!)

Someday soon I'll have organically grown onions to share.